David Allen
CEO + Chairman of the Board
David Allen is an architectural engineer born and raised in East Oakland, California. David has been driving the vision for the Museum of Jazz and Art (MOja) since 2012. His vision is to create a space fueled by music, transposing jazz composition into architecture. He evokes the flow and composition of jazz into his architectural design, which has been at the front of his earliest concepts for the physical space of MOja. The museum found permanent residence on Lake Merritt at the Fire Alarm Building, 1310 Oak Street. The decision was a result of an ongoing coordinated community effort from David and the MOja team, then supported by a unanimous vote from Oakland City Council to move forward on this historic legacy of jazz art and culture.
David is the Founder, CEO, and Board Chairman of the Museum of Jazz and Art’s real estate development project. MOja will be a 70,000 square foot facility with a mission to “Raise the Focus Awareness and Importance of preserving Jazz History” while establishing a Vision of building and connecting cultures through music, therefore creating true “Social Sustainability.”
David is the Principal of Allen Architectural Engineering, a licensed Professional Architectural Engineering & Project/ Construction Management Firm, with over 33+ years of experience and over $1.8 billion in -placed Construction Development experience. David is the lead “Composer” of the Architectural & Engineering museum design, which visually incorporates the language of Jazz Improvisation, reflective mood & engagement. Read more about David's inspiration for MOja on our blog.
Terry Stewart
COO + Vice Chairman
After almost two decades of working in banking and mergers & acquisitions, Terry was finally able to exploit his knowledge and love of pop culture. Over the next 25 years, he was president of two of the most impactful institutions in that field, Marvel Comics and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
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Terry was the longest-running President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, serving from 1999 through the end of 2012. The Museum, a nonprofit organization, exists to educate visitors, music fans, and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. Since opening in 1995, the Museum has welcomed more than twelve million people, with annual visitors coming from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. And at Marvel, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer and later as Vice Chairman.
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Stewart was born in Mobile, Alabama, and raised in the nearby town of Daphne. He received two undergraduate degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Education, from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1969. Then in 1972 and 1974, he went on to earn his MBA in Finance and J.D. in Law at Cornell University.
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Long active in civic and philanthropic endeavors, Stewart has been a Governor on the Chicago Chapter Board of the Recording Academy (Grammys), Vice Chair of the Board of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and he continues to serve as an advisor for the annual Summer Stage Concert Series in Central Park in New York City. Terry has also served on other numerous national and local boards and has received the 48th Annual Business Executive of the Year by the Sales & Marketing Executives Association of Cleveland in 2012. He also was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Business from The Ohio State University.
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Terry has devoted his passion to the Arts and Culture & is a well-known avid collector of pop culture and now serves as the Museum of Jazz and Art’s Chief Operating Officer and Vice-Chairman.
Brian Jenkins
Board Member
Brian Jenkins is a software engineer living in Alameda, across the water from Oakland. Brian got into Jazz through Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock fusion records as a teen in central New Jersey. He studied computer science and informational biology at Antioch College, earning a BS in Cybernetics.
Brian moved out to California to work in the computer game industry, but got caught up in the explosion of the early web. He has built systems and led teams at Maxis, Yelp, Pivotal Labs, NPM, and Nubank. Past projects projects include video games, special effects, social media, robotics, and fintech. He brings a broad range of technical and leadership experience to the visual/social media and education committees.
Tony Calzaretta
CXO + Board Emeritus
Tony Calzaretta has focused his 20+ year career around the intersection of Music, Art, Design and Technology. After receiving his B.F.A in painting, drawing, and graphic design from Millikin University, he spent the early part of his career at that rare time when brands were transitioning to having a presence on the internet - the late 90s. He worked at ad agencies, web development firms, and as a freelancer developing corporate branding, ad campaigns, interactive experiences, websites, and album art.
Eventually this journey led Tony to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2006 where he met a small but mighty start-up team at a company called Pandora (internet radio). Over the last 14 years, he built and drove large teams (100+) from the ground up. The teams were at the forefront of product management, product design and creative (video, audio, copywriting).
This work has been focused on both bringing brand new and evolving experiences across every part of the consumer experience for Pandora. From massive mobile, web and consumer electronic apps (Pandora Free Ad Supported, Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium), to new content formats and original programming (Podcast: Questlove Supreme), to live streaming experiences (Jack White, Metallica), to launching multiple re-brand efforts, and innovative ad products and programs (Toyota Sessions). All of this done at scale to over 100M unique users driving over 1BN+ in ad revenue. Tony provides a remarkable set of experience that uniquely drives creative and digital strategy forward.
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Tony’s long contribution to arts & culture as MOja’s Chief Experience Officer includes sharing his remarkable set of experiences that uniquely drives creative and digital strategy forward through all departments & divisions.
Ethan Alexander
Strategic Advisory Board Member
Ethan Alexander is a Senior Executive who thrives at leading strategic revenue projects, GTM strategies, critical relationships, high-performing teams and proven success with Salesforce, LivePerson, Adobe, AT&T.
But growth is The Passion.
Ethan brings to MOJA an increased awareness of potential technology, including AI, and what it could bring to our visitor experiences. Ethan not only has the technical skills, and executive leadership experiences necessary for successful implementations, Ethan has the passion and love for people to strategically lead successful teams.
Kat Taylor
Funding Champion
Kat Taylor works in service of restoring social justice and environmental well-being to build a more equitable and inclusive world. Kat is active in a variety of social enterprises and philanthropic ventures focused on deep systems change. Currently, she serves as Co-Founder and Board Chair of Beneficial State Bank, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and certified B Corporation whose mission is to bring beneficial banking to low-income communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner – and to change the banking system for good. Kat believes it’s not enough to dream that philanthropic resources can clean up damage to our society after the fact; we must instead align fundamental institutions, including business, and government, with the public interest in the first place.
Beneficial State Bank is the result of aligned mergers between OneCalifornia Bank - which Kat and her husband, Tom Steyer, founded in Oakland, CA - ShoreBank Pacific, Pan American Bank, and Albina Community Bank. Beneficial State Bank operates 17 locations throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. The bank’s revolutionary ownership structure mandates that any distributed profit be invested in the low-resourced communities it serves and the environment upon which we all depend. With strong organizational commitments to diversity, inclusion and environmental justice, Kat’s work focuses on advancing a fair, regenerative, and prosperous economy for all.
Kat is a graduate from Harvard College and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford University. She and Tom Steyer, Kat's climate-energy-justice activist husband, have four grown children, each pursuing their one wild and precious life too. Kat with her continuous love of Community, to Build & Connect Culture and passion for the Arts, is presently the Museum of Jazz & Art Principal Champion and have contributed to MOja and its early strategy.
Joe Kennedy
Board Emeritus
Retired Pandora CEO & Board chairman
Founding MOja Board Member
MOja Board Emeritus
Bill Keller
Funding Champion
Bill Keller is President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, of Community Bank of the Bay. Mr. Keller provided consulting services to the bank from November 2008 through March 2009. Mr. Keller served as a banking consultant from April 2008 until March 2009. He served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Diablo Valley Bank from October 2003 until its acquisition by Heritage Bank of Commerce in April 2008.
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Mr. Keller previously was president and chief executive officer of Bay Bank of Commerce, a wholly owned subsidiary of Greater Bay Bancorp and senior vice president of CivicBank of Commerce. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, East Bay and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School, University of Washington. He has been active in local nonprofit organizations, including acting as a board member of Oakland’s Children’s Hospital & Research Center Foundation.
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Bill is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Funding Champion and has from the start contributed sound financial strategies assisting to develop a more “social sustainable” model.
Penelope Adibe
Founding Advisory Board Member
Penelope was born & raised in London United Kingdom and found her way to California.
After receiving her BA in Fashion from Academy of Arts, over the last 18+ years, Penelope has worked in the retail, design industry, interned with Vivienne Westwood, and worked at Chuck D’s Menswear line (Rapp Style International). RSI was one of the first Hip Hop clothing lines. Her experiences took her to open her own boutique stores on Union Street in San Francisco & Broadway in Oakland. Her International fashion and image consulting experience have taken her work to London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Penelope is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Founding Advisory Board Member and her experiences has effectively led to work with MOja’s Chief Experience Officer to establish the MOja’s Visual and Image. Penelope is presently on the Social/ Visual Media & Image Committees.
Terrance Brewer
Founding Advisory Board Member
Inducted into the Pittsburg Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2016 and recently proclaimed by long-time music scribe, David Becker (SF Examiner), as the San Francisco Bay Area’s #1 Jazz Guitarist, Multiple Award winning, Hall-of-Fame inductee, guitarist Terrence Brewer is a first-call and in-demand bandleader, record producer, concert performer, studio musician, and one of the San Francisco Bay area's foremost and sought after music educators. Brewer has produced and released 11 nationally acclaimed albums; Including the latest in 2019, "Don't Worry 'Bout Me; A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass" on his own record label (Strong Brew Music) he started in 2006. Those albums have had several top 15 and top 10 appearances on the national jazz charts.
Brewer has led his various groups in nearly 3000 performances in the last 10 years; performing to sold-out crowds at the 52nd & 62nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, the world famous Yoshi's at Jack London Square, Yoshi's San Francisco, SFJAZZ Jazz Festival, and countless other venues. In addition to headlining his own shows, Brewer has shared the stage with vocalist/ pianist Diana Krall, Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Gerald Albright, has worked with Mary Wilson (The Supremes), Darlene Love, Taylor Eigsti, Jay Lane, Dr. Anthony Brown, Pete Escovedo, and has studied with the likes of Charlie Hunter, Duck Baker, Tom Patitucci, & Mark Levine
When Brewer is not touring regionally and nationally, he finds time to instruct/facilitate master classes, clinics, workshops, and lectures for the likes of Stanford Jazz Workshop, SFJAZZ, The Jazz School, Jazz Camp West, Blue Bear School of Music, Lafayette Summer Music Workshop and presenting at colleges, high schools, and middles schools throughout California. He has won many awards including Winner -SF Weekly Music Award - Best Jazz Artist; Winner -Oakland Chamber of Commerce Artist of the Year; Winner -Bay Area Blues Society "Best Jazz group” Award
Terrance was one of the Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Founding Advisory Board Members and is presently on the Education and Musician Committee & has always been available to contribute his professionalism and experience to MOja. MOja welcomes his dedication to Community and the Art Form. Advisory.
Greg Bridges
Founding Advisory Board Members
Greg Bridges is an award-winning radio dj, journalist & music/art activist born raised in Oakland, California. His professional career in radio began at the legendary radio station KJAZ 92.7 FM where he was a valued member of the airstaff for 10 years. Since 1996, Greg can be heard at Jazz station KCSM 91.1 FM and at the progressive music, news and culture station KPFA 94.1 where he has hosted Transitions on Traditions since 1999. He also serves as a contributer to KPFA’s Hip HOP Social Affairs and music show HardKitock Radio.
Whether showcasing & expressing his love for the arts and Jazz, Greg’s talents in broadcasting, reporting and inspiring others through community activism brings the Museum of Jazz & Arts Vision together “…Building and Connecting Cultures through Music”. In addition, Greg can also be heard around the country broadcasting on WFMT's Jazz network. He has written for various publications including Jazz Now Magazine and Bayshore Magazine, interviewed great Jazz Legends and remains a constant presence producing and promoting events on the Bay Area music and arts scene.
Greg is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Advisory Board Members serving on the History & Community & Culture Committees and have contributed to MOja’s online MOjazzArt Radio Station on Pandora and to MOja’s Historical importance as a Museum Institution.
Leisei Chen
Founding Advisory Board Member
Leisei was born and raised in Kobe, Japan of Chinese heritage surrounded by a multi-cultural international environment. A child prodigy at age 4 of the electric organ and piano, her vast musical knowledge & training includes classical western, Chinese music and all types of modern music. Leisei’s professional career begun at age of 10, as an organist/pianist for weddings and events. She became deeply involved in Jazz, Latin and Brazilian Music at age 14. After her graduation majoring in Jazz piano & vocal from the Koyto Conservatory of Music International in Kobe Japan, she attended the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. In her search of Spirituality in JAZZ, she was mentored & performed with JAZZ luminaries such as Evelyn Blakey (Art Blakey’s Daughter), Buddy Catlett (Louis Armstrong), Billy Wallace (Max Roach) and among many others. She was an original member as a vocalist of the Living Spirit Jazz Band, led by Larry Jones among Jazz master musicians in Seattle.
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Leisei is also an Qigong/Taiji artist and founder of “Qi Arts”, trained by renowned Qigong Taiji master artists from China. Combining sounds, music and her healing arts practices. She demonstrates "Sounds/Music As A Healing & Unifying Force”. She choreographed and performed for the Pat Graney Dance Company "The Movement Meditation Project" with 150 women martial artists. She produced the multi-cultural music & arts events such as “Brazilian Jazz Night”, her Brazilian Trio & Japanese cultures at the Seattle Aquarium, “One Love Valentine”, her Jazz Quartet live performance with 12 international dishes & art exhibition in Kobe Japan.
Serendipitously, Leisei reunited with a groundbreaking legendary Jazz violinist & composer Michael White. Soon they became life and music partners & formed “Michael White Quintet”. Leisei & Michael recorded & designed an award winning album “Voices”, with Timothy Young, Cecil McBee and Kenneth Nash. They produced and performed workshop “Spontaneous Inspiration For Jazz Improvision” in Reggio Emilia, Italy and USA. They produced “tour the ARTS.MWQ”, the Michael White Quintet collaborating with the world-class duo musicians & featured artists in live performances & solo exhibitions, based on a theme "People Of All Colors And Arts Coming Together For Humanity”.
Over 14 years of working daily together with Michael, Leisei developed her truly unique color & sound of voice that reaches listeners deeply. She co-created, co-composed and arranged, Michael’s new work “Orbit” for the 2013 COLA Individual Artist Fellowship. The artist-in-residence at Harrison House, Leisei & Michael created & premiered LIVE, their last new work “Rays Of Oneness”. In 2017, She co-founded ~ êILê ~ Cinematic Jazz with Emile Porée, Joey DeRusha & Alma Cielo in honor of Michael White. She created a multi-cultural integrated arts project “Tribute For Michael White Spiritual Jazz Violinist”, honoring Michael’s artistic legacy to present his work in new approaches and her own new work, collaborating with artists & musicians in 2018. She performed in Japan, USA & Europe, and locally in Royce Hall UCLA, Grand Performances, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Eagle Rock Music Festival, Malcom X Jazz & Arts Festival & Angeles Jazz Festival.
Leisei is a Founding Board Member of the International Cultural Alliance in Los Angeles, and a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Founding Advisory Board Member.
Lailan Huen
Advisory Board Member
Lailan Sandra Huen is a media-maker, educator and community organizer with Oakland Chinatown roots since 1906 and California roots in the founding Chinese American communities of the Gold Rush era. As a proud graduate of Skyline High and Oakland public schools, she is honored to serve as Oakland Unified School District's founding Program Manager for Asian Pacific Islander Student Achievement. Lailan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies from Columbia University and a Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School. With a background in graphic design, photography, videography, and participatory engagement, she is passionate about using media and art to engage communities and shape historical narratives that help people see their own power.
Previously, Lailan worked for the California State Assembly on affordable housing, foreclosure prevention, and community development. Lailan was the Community Development and Organizing Manager for the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development and authored “Our Neighborhoods: Asian American and Pacific Islander Anti-Displacement Strategies, “ which highlighted best practices from across the country to protect cultural districts and implement equitable development.
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Lailan is an organizer working to build people-power through leadership development, civic engagement and grassroots coalition-building. She is an active member of the Oakland Chinatown Coalition to ensure that long-time residents are included in new development and to support the future generations of Chinatown.
Lailan is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Advisory Board Member on the Education and Community & Culture Committee. She was instrumental in assisting MOja in defining Cultural importance and relevancy for the Oakland Community and insuring that MOja messages were heard throughout Oakland. She contributes to MOja’s conceptual planning ideas and the History Hope & Heritage Center’s Cultural Vision and Values.
Tovah King
Founding Advisory Board Member
I met David in 2012; we sat next to each other on a flight from Miami to San Francisco. He told me about his vision for MOJA. We discussed music, Black history, social movements, and my Jewish grandfather who ran a Jazz forum in Los Angeles until his death in 2008. I joined David and the team in 2012. I am honored to continue building MOJA and further its mission. I graduated this summer 2020 from the University of Washington with a Master’s in Public Health. My interests are in connections among people, justice, and creativity.
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As a Founding MOja Advisory Board Member, Tovah has been very instrumental in the planning, organizing & implementation of all early strategies. And her voicing is always considered as our culture and social Conscience.
Grover Rudolph
Advisory Board Member
Grover Rudolph is a consummate professional who believes you can learn from anyone. He believes that every person has a story worth listening too. That meaningful growth and change comes through one’s willingness to be truthful about themselves. That our capacity to learn is endless.
Grover attended Brown University in Providence, R.I. and received his Juris Doctorate from The University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law and was a trial attorney for 14 years. He later worked for more than 10 years in commercial and residential real estate management.
Grover who genuinely likes people, forms lasting friendships and professional relationships. He believes that building the right team is critical to achieving desired outcomes. He knows that your people are your life’s blood in any organization. That you must critically listen. That you must act with decisiveness and be willing to own and learn from your mistakes.
“If you cannot hold yourself accountable, then you will never gain the trust of the team you lead.” Without that trust, a leader will not get the honest feedback that is vital to building a successful organization.
Grover with his love of people and passion for Arts, is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Advisory Board Member serving on the Education, Real Estate & Project Management Committees and have contributed to MOja’s concept & strategy from the early beginning.
Dimitri Thompson
Founding Advisory Board Member
Whether it’s food, beverage, or giving quality “Human” personal attention, Dimitri Thompson, born in Serbia Belgrade and eventually moved to London, is an influential individual working to create the best Human experience.
During his career, Dimitri has worked in London, Italy, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, as a Food & Beverage Director. His experience also includes Country Clubs, International Hotels, Fleet Butler of Silversea, which is one of the most luxury cruise lines in the World. Dimitri was a Partner in the first Carbon Neutral Café in the United States and Oakland. In addition to his diverse “Human to Human” experience, Dimitri was also the Director for the International Institute of Modern Butlers, trained by Buckingham Palace, Torino Italy and currently serves on the Board of the Fox Theater and Friends of the Fox.
Dimitri is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Advisory Board Member on the Food and Beverage Committee and have contributed to conceptual planning ideas for the Café, Restaurant & consulted on the importance of strategic Human to Human interactions.
Tania Webb
Advisory Board member
Tania Webb is a Managing Director in Deloitte & Touche LLP. She has over 20 years of experience in business process analysis, financial management, system operations and maintenance. She has designed and implemented business process controls, data integrity, privacy and security for a variety of Integrated Business Application and Clinical Information Systems.
Tania focuses on the Healthcare Industry where she serves clients on Cyber Risks projects. Tania’s leadership roles include the following:
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Lead Risk and Financial Advisory Business Partner for Kaiser Permanente
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Lead Cyber Risk Recruiting Partner for University of California, Berkeley
She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from California State University, Fullerton and her master’s degree of Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. Tania lives in Oakland, California with her husband, their two sons, and Logan – a chocolate Labrador. She enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling, skiing, and playing soccer and baseball with her sons.
Tania is presently a Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja) Advisory Board Member on the Education and Finance Committee. MOja welcomes her passion for education and her expertise in Risk and Financial Advisory.
Michael White
In Memoriam
Founding Advisory Board Member
Michael White was among the first Founding Advisory Board Members for the Museum of Jazz & Art (MOja). He was a truly original and groundbreaking violinist in the realm of jazz. He was also a composer, educator, innovator, and major recording artist formerly on Capitol, Columbia, Impulse and Elektra/Asylum records. In the 1960s, he introduced his unique violin style into the jazz scenes of the Bay Area and New York, playing with luminaries such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders among many others. In the early 1970s, he was a founding member of the first fusion group, the "Fourth Way". He released five albums with the Michael White Quartet on Impulse records, and toured throughout the United States and Europe. He performed in Lagos, Nigeria with Stevie Wonder and Sun Ra. He continued to play with Pharoah Sanders, appearing on Sanders' 1996 album Message From Home. In 1998 he released an album of duets with Bill Frisell entitled Motion Pictures.
The Michael White Quintet (MWQ) was born in 2003, When Michael reunited with Leisei Chen, his soul mate, life and music partner. His recording "Voices", featured a reunion with his original Impulse! Records rhythm section of Cecil McBee, bass; Kenneth Nash, percussion; along with guitarist Timothy Young and vocalist Leisei Chen. “Voices” received praise from jazz critics as well as awards from the International Songwriting Competition and Independent Music Awards. The album "Voices" connects White's earlier body of work to his later creative endeavors, and prompted the formation of the Michael White Quintet with the philosophy, "The cornerstones of our music are 'LOVE. HEALING. INSPIRATION. HOPE.' Our sound is intended to touch one's heart and fill one's body with a 'kozmic groove'!"
Highly requested worldwide for reissue, his impulse albums “Spirit Dance” “Pneuma” and "The Land of Spirit and Light" have recently been re-released as well as “X-Factor” and “White Night” from Elektra after 40 years from the original releases. "The Blessing Song" from Pneuma has been compiled among many the world's renowned DJs such as BBC1 top DJ Gilles Peterson on "Pure Fire! A Gilles Peterson Impulse! Collection"(UK). Highly acclaimed as a Spiritual Jazz Master, his music resonated through generations globally.
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In 2009, Michael & Leisei moved to Los Angeles. They performed the DUO for the Alice Coltrane Tribute at the Royce Hall, UCLA. In 2011, Michael & Leisei produced the multi-cultural arts project and event ‘tour the ARTS.MWQ’, which the Michael White Quintet UNIT2, hosted and performed in beautiful artistic collaborations with a group of world class artists from all disciplines & cultures based on their vision: People Of All Colors, Cultures And Arts Coming Together For Humanity.’ In 2012, he received the COLA Individual Artist Fellowship Award in performing arts from the Department Of Culture Affairs (DCA). The DCA provided funding for his new work ‘Orbit’. In 2013, the original band members of the Michael White Quintet performed live to premiere ‘Orbit’ at the Grand Performances in front of over 1000 people on a Los Angeles day with record high temperatures. In 2015, Eva Soltes of the Harrison House in Joshua Tree invited Michael and Leisei to be artists-in-residence. They created a new work, "Rays of Oneness," and they premiered the first part of the work, "Sun Rays," live. This became Michael’s and their last new work and live performance together. Their performance ended with warm full-house standing ovations.
Michael's full obituary was lovingly written by Leisei Chen and can be read in full here.